Blog Archives

Maroon Festival, South Bank Parklands

5/28/2017

Where is it: South Bank foreshore!

What's it all about: A celebration of the Queensland Maroons in the lead up to State of Origin game 1!

How can I join in: Head on down to South Bank for free activities planned daily! Sunday is fan day so there’s even more planned!

Tell me more: 4 days of celebration of Queensland’s mighty Maroons! It might seem a bit of overkill to have a 4 day festival to support a rugby league team before a game, but it’s plenty of fun and lots of opportunity to meet the stars of the team! It also provides plenty of opportunity for the players to draw inspiration from the support of the public! With special shows for the kids, games and activities, it’s a great festival for our little guys, even for those who don’t really know what it’s all about just yet. There’s also heaps of special food, in most cases drawn locally from Queensland producers that will satisfy the fussiest of foodies, and of course there will be ample opportunity to get up close and meet with your favourite players!

Contact: http://maroonfestival.com.au

Queenslander Stage and Forecourt / Waterfront Garden Bar

Health and Wellness Green / Fit + Fun Zone

River Parade

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Lightning McQueen and Mack

5/26/2017

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Where is it: Queens St Mall (river end)!

What's it all about: An opportunity to meet Mack and Lightning McQueen!

How can I join in: Just head down into the city to see them, no booking required!

Tell me more: Lightning McQueen and Mack the truck need no introduction to any kids under 10 nor their parents, so the opportunity to meet them here in Brisbane was something we weren’t going to pass up! Our little guys were suitably impressed and more so when they found out that they could get their very own licence (which is pretty cool – we would have liked one ourselves!). Both Lightning and Mack visited Brisbane on behalf of Mack Trucks Australia who will have a big presence at the Brisbane Truck Show which is on at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre!

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/events/1560029310736182/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%223%22%2C%22ref_newsfeed_story_type%22%3A%22regular%22%2C%22feed_story_type%22%3A%2217%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D

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National Simultaneous Story Time

5/24/2017

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Where is it: Libraries all over the Australia!

What's it all about: A small, annual celebration held during Library and Information week, you are invited to join in and read a nominated book along with countless schools, libraries and homes around Australia!

How can I join in: Have a look at website listed or the individual library websites to see who’s taking part. Libraries are always welcoming so feel free to head along and join in on this wonderful initiative!

Tell me more: This annual campaign is a great promotion that seeks to encourage our little guys to read and enjoy books! In our experience this is something that comes naturally to kids, so hopefully it doesn’t require too much effort! A specific and Australian-authored book is nominated and at 11am we get to start reading! It gets people into libraries and I’m sure that first-timers will return when they see what’s libraries have to offer - such a simple campaign which we’re sure has a really positive impact on our little guys!

Contact: https://www.alia.org.au/nss

Mt Coot-Tha 2017

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International Museum Day

5/18/2017

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Where is it: Museums all over the world!

What's it all about: It's a day where heaps of museums around the world throw open their doors to the public to better highlight the importance of museums in society!

How can I join in: Check out your favourite museum to see what's on! Or better yet, try visiting a museum that you've never been to!

Tell me more: Every year around the 18 May, museums around the world take part in International Museum Day! There will often be free entry and special activities, and generally all museums will be coordinating around a set theme! There are some great museums in and around Brisbane, so keep an eye on their programs to see what's on offer. It's a great opportunity get to a museum - there's sure to be something of interest for everyone!

Contact: http://network.icom.museum/international-museum-day/

International Museum Day at Queensland Museum 2017

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Grandchester Model Live Steam Trains, Ipswich

5/16/2017

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Where is it: 2 Ipswich Street, Grandchester, about 1.5 hours' drive west of Brisbane

What's it all about: Scaled down replica trains that you can ride on! What fun!
Why we love it: Little, working trains (are there any kids that don't love trains?) which run on real, miniature tracks that you can ride on! It's such a lovely, relaxed and rural setting which heaps of space and more than enough shade for a picnic as the trains go by!
Tell me more: Grandchester is a tiny little town about half an hours' drive from Ipswich. It might be tiny, but it has a very special place in the history of Queensland, as it was the last stop on the (then) new Queensland Rail which provided a huge impetous to the development of this great state! As a reminder of the importance of the town's rail heritage, Grandchester Model Live Steam runs on the first Sunday of every month and we have to say that it is heaps of fun!
The detail on the trains is simply amazing - you will find both steam trains (actual little steam trains burning coal!) and faithful replicas of Queensland Rail diesel locomotives (although we don't think that there are any diesel engines in there)! The association members who provide their time to running these days are quite accommodating, so if you or your little guys really want to ride a specific train they will do their best to get you on that train. They pull specially built wagons that can carry around 6 - 8 people per wagon and the ride is surprisingly smooth and lots of fun! And at two dollars a ride and multi ticket discounts, it's great value as well! There's a canteen on site for food and refreshments or bring a picnic as there's heaps of lawn and shade.
While you are in Grandchester for the train rides, you really need to pay a visit to the historic Grandchester Station. The heritage listed building is only a two minute drive from the Model Live Steam tracks and is a lovely and faithfully maintained old station, which looks as though it could be in daily use still to this day! It's not however, but the train line that runs directly past is still in use and on occasion this station will be put back into service for heritage steam train visits! It holds some intriguing memorabilia from days gone by and it is a beautiful old building!
We had a great day out at Grandchester - the little trains are heaps of fun for the kids, Grandchester Station is a lovely visit, and the whole day in this little town was so relaxed and quiet. It's a great way to switch off and recharge, while at the same time enjoying the fun of the model railway!
Website: http://www.grandchestermodeltrains.com.au/

Amenities: Toilets on site and there's also a canteen so you can visit without packing your lunch! There are a few covered picnic tables and lots of lawn areas. 👍👍👍👍
Parking: Roadside parking that can get a bit busy, but no problems with finding a park! 👍👍👍
Access: Easy to get to and get around, but you will need to drive to Grandchester! 👍👍👍
Best for: Everyone will enjoy this day out, however we think that kids 6 and under would have the most fun! 👍👍👍👍
Summary: A really fun and relaxed day out in a quaint little rural setting. Well worth a visit and especially if you have little train buffs in your family! 👍👍👍👍
Hints: Be sure to visit the historic Grandchester Station and the Model Live Steam is a great spot for a picnic lunch!

Grandchester Model Train

Grandchester Station

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A day out at the Ipswich Festival

5/7/2017

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Where is it: Ipswich Mall, d'Arcy Doyle Place and Brisbane Street, Ipswich.
What’s it all about: A selection of activities making for a busy afternoon, all as part of the Ipswich Festival – a celebration of Ipswich’s community spirit and heritage!
How can I join in: Creative Kidz, ArtBeat, Parade of Light and the Heritage Bank Street Party are all free events, so just head along to these fun events! There are so many more events uplanned for the Ipswich Festival, so check their website for more details!
Tell me more: At first glance of this amazing festival’s schedule and you would be forgiven for feeling a little intimidated by what’s on offer – there are so many events, activities and entertainment options throughout Ipswich over the 10 days that the festival runs for! We wanted to get some real bang-for-the-buck from 1 day out at the festival – we wanted lots to occupy the kids, we wanted entertainment, we wanted options and most of all we wanted to have a wonderful time!
So we headed out to Ipswich on the first Saturday of the festival to catch 3 events – Creative Kidz, the Parade of Light and the Street Party – all taking place in the City Centre of Ipswich, and all running essentially one after the other, and all generally in the same location! We didn’t realise it when we planned, but there was also another event on at the same time – ArtBeat, again in the same area, so even though we had prepared for a busy afternoon, it got even busier when we arrived!
We kicked off by getting straight into some activities in Creative Kidz which was set up in the Mall – there was so much to do, table after table of fun crafty activities! There was a good crowd of people but there were heaps of different creation stations, so it was easy to get in and get a little bit messy! There was also a program of fun events including animals, circus performances and circus schools, Hoot and Hootabelle from ABC and a really fun bubble show! The shows were well spaced time-wise so there was plenty of time to catch the shows and get some painting or crafts done in between! A few market stalls rounded out what would have been an awesome stand-alone event, let alone one as part of a bigger festival!
Across the road from Creative Kidz was ArtBeat which had heaps more crafty things to for kids. There was a slightly different feel to these workshops, but they still very inviting for the little guys! The main stage was set up for the upcoming Street Party and with music and entertainment on throughout the afternoon, there was a definite festive atmosphere! We also managed to catch part of the action of the Ipswich Festival Criterium cycling race which was really exciting!
We are reasonably seasoned when it comes to visiting events like this, but we were caught a little short by the amount of options here – so many that we should have brought a shopping trolley along to cart away all the paintings and craft we collected along the way! A painting apron would have been a nice idea too!
By the end of these events we had certainly had our fill of craft (although the kids were happy to keep on going!) and we had to secure a spot to catch the action of the Parade of Light. As we soon found out, this event is hugely popular, so you probably need to take you place around an hour before the action kicks off! The parade commenced on time at 6pm and was a fun mix of marching bands, cool cars, marching groups, floats and paper lanterns which were sculpted into amazing creations! The parade was themed “Wizards, Witches and Mystical Creatures” and you would be forgiven for thinking that it was Halloween all over again! Our little guys loved the parade – everything was well spaced and the lanterns were fantastic! But choosing one highlight was easy – the hot air balloon float! Blasting out huge jets of fire straight up into the air as it slowly worked its way up the street, this one was really impressive!
As soon as the parade come to a finish, part of the street quickly filled with classic cars (another festival event we weren’t expecting!) and the crowds quickly shifted focus to the Street Party! Heaps of carnival food, a few rides and live music rounded out the night, but the Street Party was perhaps outshone by the parade that ran before it. It was still lots of fun, but the atmosphere of the parade was certainly on a different level. The live music was great and our little guys were more than happy to join in with the other kids in showing off their dance moves!
All in all, this was such a fun afternoon out! The kids were super tired when we got home, but there were no signs of grumpiness while we were out – and that for us is the best indicator of a very enjoyable event! If the rest of the Ipswich Festival events can match the fun of these events, then visitors are in for a real treat!

Website: http://www.ipswichfestival.com.au

Creative Kids

ArtBeat Festival

More Ipswich Festival Action

Parade of Light

Heritage Bank Street Party

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Rosewood Railway Museum, Ipswich

5/1/2017

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Where is it: Just outside of Rosewood, around 30 minutes' drive from Ipswich CBD.
What's it all about: A small museum with lots of big exhibits, and once a month you can ride on a heritage train!
How can I join in: Head along on the last Sunday of every month to experience some working history of Ipswich and Queensland! The museum is open on all other Sundays, however you'll be missing out if you don't catch a ride on one of the old trains!

Tell me more: We took a nice drive west of Brisbane on a beautiful morning - heading out to Rosewood, just 20 kms west of Ipswich to visit the Rosewood Rail Museum! The museum is open on Sundays, however the last Sunday of each month is the day to visit as they have a restored train running between the two stations on their very own piece of track (a maintained section of a de-commissioned line)! Set amongst some lovely scenery of rolling hills and farmland, two small rail stations have been authentically maintained for the museum's use.

Starting off from Cabanda Station (closest to Rosewood), the train leaves roughly every hour for the 10 - 15 min train ride up a section of the Little Liverpool Range to Kunkala Station, where the museum resides. Normally running the close-to-100 year old C17 class steam train (known as "Ken Biggs"), you can purchase return fares or multi-trip where you can ride the train all day long! When we visited, "Ken" was in the workshop under repair, so we got to ride on the 80 year old diesel rail motor "Red Fred", which we thought was heaps of fun, and great value too as you get a multi-trip for the price of a return ticket!"
Upon arrival at Kunkala Station, we disembarked for a look around the museum. We were also lucky as we received a guided tour of the workshop where "Ken" was sitting and got to have a look around this awesome piece of machinery! There are also a number of other locomotives and carriages housed at Kunkala which you could wander around and check out at your own pace. It's a lovely, relaxed setting (apart from the occasional blast of the air-horn from "Red Fred") and it's all very rustic and authentic. There are some limited refreshments available as well as souvenirs - we mistakenly purchased some cute train whistles for the kids - our eardrums might never forgive us! We also found some nice and shady lawn to set up a picnic on - plenty of others had the same idea as well!
After lunch we boarded "Red Fred" for the last time and headed back down the track to Cabanda Station, taking in the lovely views as you wind down the hill! We had a great time at Rosewood Railway Museum - it's a really simple and enjoyable day out - and the volunteers are really friendly, helpful and professional!

Contact: http://www.arhs-qld.org.au/rosewood-railway-museum

Amenities: There are limited amenities at Cabanda Station and full amenities (including a limited selection of food and refreshments) at Kunkala Station (the site of the museum)! 👍👍👍
Cost: Excellent value while Red Fred is running! 👍👍👍
Parking: Free parking at both stations, although it did get a bit busy when we visited! 👍👍👍
Access: Good access through both sites - these are heritage stations and some restrictions should be expected! 👍👍👍
Entertainment: The train rides are great fun and not too long! And a multi-trip, you can ride all day long! 👍👍
Best for: Train lovers, history buffs and basically all kids! 👍👍👍
Summary: A really simple and relaxing day out! We weren't sure what to expect, but we really enjoyed this day out - the short train trip, heaps of old trains to look at and a nice spot for a picnic made this an enjoyable day out! 👍👍👍👍
Hints: Pack a picnic and enjoy a quite lunch while you're out!